Toy cable car device



Oct. 15, 1968 w. RICHTER 3,405,478

TOY CABLE CAR DEVICE Filed Sept. 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ig-l E a Hmowd NW 197 rap 4/: v:

Oct. 15, 1968 w. RICHTER TOY CABLE CAR DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 22, 1965 Fig. 5

I'm enrol? Mu Fan/v6 Benn-k WM firramvsm United States Patent 3,405,478 TOY CABLE CAR DEVICE Wolfgang Richter, Nurnberg, Germany, assignor to Ernst Paul Lehmann, Patentwerk, Nurnberg, Germany, a firm of Germany Filed Sept. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 489,203 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 5, 1965,

0,171 13 Claims. (Cl. 46-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE station.

The invention relates to a toy cable car device in which a cable car is movable between a base or valley station and a top or mountain station, and more particularly to a cable car device of this kind in which a cable car is movable between two stations by means of a pull cable operable at the base station.

In cable car devices of this kind, also sometimes referred to as funicular car devices, the car is suspended from and moves along a suspension cable and is transported from one station to the other by a separate pull cable. In cable car devices of this kind only a single cable car is generally provided, since two cable cars which are movable simultaneously would require four cables, namely, two suspension cables and two pull cables. The use of so many cables is not practical, because the function of the toy requires that the pull cables be smoothly moved and that all cables be safely guided. Moreover, it is too difficult for a young child to manipulate so many cables in the correct fashion.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved toy cable car or funicular car device with which several cars can be simultaneously moved between the valley or base station and the mountain or top station in a simple and convenient manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toy cable car or funicular car device of the general kind above referred to in which several cars and the cables therefor are safely guided and can be easily manipulated by a playing child.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toy cable car or funicular car device which permits simultaneous operation of two cars by means of two cables in a manner such that one car is ascending while the other is descending.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toy cable car or funicular car device of the general kind above referred to which closely resembles in appearance and operation an actual cable car installation and operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toy cable car or funicular car device which can be easily and rapidly set up and also easily and rapidly dismantled.

Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter and set forth in the appended claims constituting part of the application.

In the accompanying drawing a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration, and not by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the toy cable car device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the mounting structure for the top station of the device on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line IIIIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic side view of the base or valley station of the device;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a cable car of the device; and

FIG. 6 is a lengthwise section of FIG. 5.

Referring now to the figures in detail, the exemplified toy cable car device comprises two cable cars a and a which are suspended from cable portions b and b respectively, by means of carriers c and c respectively. The carriers are secured at both ends to the cable portions by suitable fastening means at d d and e e respectively. They may, for'instance, be tied to the cables. It is only essential that the carriers, and with them the cable cars, move in unison with the cable portions when the latter are displaced lengthwise, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The two cable portions constitute part of an endless cable I) which is guided over a guide pulley f in a base or valley station v and a corresponding guide pulley f in a top or mountain station w. The diameters of the two pulleys are such that the two cable portions are held spaced apart so far that the two cable cars can pass each other when moving between the two stations. It is generally preferable to provide pulleys of equal diameters, so that the cable portions are parallel. As is shown in FIG. 1, the two cable cars are so positioned on the supporting cable portions that one of the cable cars is in substantially its lowermost position when the other is in substantially its uppermost position.

Pulley f is pivotal on a pivot pin it, which in turn is mounted in 2. preferably boxlike casing i constituting a mounting structure for the top station. The casing and the pivot pin may be made of plastic and molded in one piece by any suitable technique for molding plastics. Casing i is suspended by any suitable means, such as a wire loop W1 and a hook W2 on a suitable wall, indicated at W3, in a position higher than the base or valley station v.

Guide pulley f is similarly mounted on a base plate m, which constitutes a mounting structure for the base station.

As can best be seen in FIG. 3, each of the pulleys has a peripheral groove g for guiding cable b. The width of this groove is overdimensioned in reference to the cross section of the cable and may be approximately onetenth of the diameter of the pulleys. Such overdimensioning of the guide grooves assures a slip-free guidance of the cable. Moreover, the cable will safely remain in the grooves even if the rotational axes of the two pulleys are not parallel. Such parallel positioning of the axes is obviously the most desirable positioning. However, it is not always possible, due to lack of space, to mount the top station at a level in which the rotational axes are parallel, or the top station may be accidentally located too high or too low. To assure still further the guidance of the cable portions, guide means, shown as holes I, are provided in the front wall k of easing i. As is evident, these guide holes, in conjunction with the walls of the casing, prevent the cable from jumping out of the grooves g of guide pulley f Similarly, the cable is guided in the base station by means of notches or grooves n. These notches or grooves are so deep that the cable cannot leave the same even if the top station is suspended above or below the optimal 3 position in which the rotational axes of the pulleys are parallel.

The function of the cable car device is evident from the previous description. Rotation of guide pulley A in either direction will move one cable car up and the other down. The guide pulley can be manually rotated by means of a grip 0. However, a power drive by means of a small motor may also be provided. To facilitate the installation of a power drive, base plate m may be hollow and open at the bottom to accommodate a suitable small motor and a battery for supplying the same with current.

To make the cable car device still more realistic, a building structure p may be provided in the base station. This building structure may simulate a waiting room for passengers. To retain the structure p in a fixed position in reference to base plate m, the latter may have at its front end an extension q, which is suitably engageable with the rear wall of the building structure. The rear wall includes openings p through which the cable b is guided.

The two cable cars a and a comprise a cabin accessible through a slidable door r. They may have windows on all four sides and also in the doors. The window openings are preferably covered with a suitable transparent material, such as transparent plastic. Benches s are provided within the cable cars. These benches, together with the walls and the windows of the cable cars, may be made of plastic and in one piece by any technique suitable for the purpose.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a certain now preferred example and embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art, after understanding the inventinon, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy cable car device comprising, in combination, a base station, a top station, a guide pulley in each of said stations, an endless flexible cable guided over and by said pulleys, said cable having two spaced-apart mutually parallel straight portions extending between said pulleys, a carrier secured to each of said straight portions for up and down movement in unison therewith without turning of the carriers, a car suspended from each of said carriers, a first mounting structure supporting the base station, a second mounting structure supporting the top station for mounting said stations at different levels, each of said mounting structures including a pivot shaft for the respective guide pulley, the rotational axes of said shafts being substantially mutually parallel and slanted in reference to a horizontal plane and a reversible drive means coupled to the shaft of one of said pulleys, each of said straight cable portions constituting a carrier supporting portion and also a carrier pulling portion, reversal of said drive means effecting reversal of the direction of travel of said cable portions.

2. A toy cable car device according to claim 1, wherein said carriers are secured to said straight cable portions in positions such that one carrier is close to the base station when the other is close to the top station.

3. A toy cable car device according to claim 1, wherein the ends of each carrier facing said stations are secured to the respective cable portion.

4. A toy cable car device according to claim 1, wherein each of said mounting structures comprises guide means for guiding the cable to and from said pulleys.

5. A toy cable car device according to claim 4, wherein the mounting structure supporting the top station comprises a wall portion including openings, said openings constituting the respective guide means for the cable.

6. A toy cable car device according to claim 5, wherein the mounting structure supporting the top station further comprises a boxlike frame structure, said frame structure mounting the respective pivot shaft, the guide pulley in the top station being pivotal on said shaft.

7. A toy cable car device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting structure supporting the base station includes grooves on its side facing the top station, said grooves constituting the respective guide means for the cable.

8. A toy cable car device according to claim 1, wherein mounting structure supporting the base station includes a space open at the bottom of the structure for receiving the drive means for driving the pulley shaft in the base station.

9. A toy cable car device according to claim 1, wherein each of said guide pulleys has a peripheral guide groove engaged by the cable.

10. A toy cable car device according to claim 9, wherein the maximum axial width of said groove is several times the maximum cross sectional width of the cable.

11. A toy cable car device according to claim 1, wherein the structure supporting the base station supports a building structure.

12. A toy cable car device according to claim 11, wherein said mounting structure has a lateral extension and said building structure is engaged with said extension for detachably securing the building structure in a predetermined position in reference to the mounting structure.

13. Atoy cable car device according to claim 1, wherein each of said cable cars comprises a cabin, benches in the cabin and window openings in the walls of the cabin, said window openings being covered with a transparent material, said cabin walls, benches and window openings being made of one piece.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,569,549 1/1926 Keppner. 3,071,083 1/ 1963 Hochmuth.

FOREIGN PATENTS 501,014 3/1954 Canada.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

C. WENTZEL, Assistant Examiner. 

